Ian Evatt feels Ricardo Almeida Santos was 'excellent' at times in the draw against Grimsby Town and is starting to show the signs of why he brought the defender to Bolton Wanderers.
The Trotters played out a goalless draw against the Mariners on Saturday as neither side was able to break the deadlock at the University of Bolton Stadium.
But Wanderers did pick up their first clean sheet of the season over the weekend.
Bolton head coach Evatt kept faith with the same central defenders which played in the victory the previous weekend against Harrogate Town.
It meant Santos in the centre of a back three, with Ryan Delaney and Harry Brockbank alongside him.
And Evatt feels that Santos is starting to show in matches the kind of form he has been displaying in training and what the former Barrow boss saw before bringing the defender to Wanderers.
Evatt said: "I thought Ricardo Santos and Ryan Delaney defended really well again – I think Ricardo really seems to suit the middle of the back three. At times he was excellent.
“I am pleased with the clean sheet but we have to be better going forwards.
“I believe in him (Santos) and he knows that. In spite of all the criticism – and that is part of football, you have to take it on the chin. You can’t please everyone all of the time.
“There’s huge expectation at this football club but we need to forget about it and concentrate on what we are trying to do.
“Rico has shown that and I think he’s now showing himself to be the kind of player I see in training and the sort of player I saw before he came to the club."
On the bench against Grimsby were youngsters Ronan Darcy and Regan Riley, both of whom played in the midweek defeat in the EFL Trophy against Shrewsbury Town.
And Evatt has been particularly impressed with 17-year-old Riley, who he feels is going to be a 'fantastic player' for Wanderers.
He said: “I have massive confidence in them. Regan has really impressed me for a 17-year-old his physical data and what he can do, how he moves around a football pitch, is excellent.
"And he’s impressed me with what he can do with the ball as well. He’s going to be a fantastic player for this football club.
“I think this week in general has been positive. We had a positive result at Harrogate and a positive performance instead of a result from the young players on Tuesday. And we have another point today.
“However, I do feel it was two dropped. I do feel they were there for the taking.
“We have to have that mentality to win at all costs and we have to push ourselves. I didn’t see enough of that."
